Top warning sought for epilepsy drugs

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Food and Drug Administration hopes to add its most serious warning label to epilepsy drugs, based on evidence they increase suicide risks in patients.

In materials posted online Monday, FDA scientists proposed adding a "black box" warning about suicide risks to all drugs used to treat seizures. The agency released the proposal ahead of a meeting Thursday, when outside experts will weigh in on the drugs' risks.

Anti-seizure drugs also are used for other illnesses, including migraines, certain nerve-pain disorders and psychiatric diseases such as bipolar disorder. Seizure drugs were the fifth-best-selling class of drugs in the U.S. last year, with sales over $10 billion, according to pharmaceutical research firm IMS Health.